With a combined three National Championships, eight Southeastern
Conference Championships and three Heisman Trophies, there is
plenty to remember Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow by.
Just in case, the University of Florida wants their legacies set in
stone.

The three Heisman winners are coming back to the Swamp, but they
won’t be wearing the traditional orange and blue – their new color
is bronze.

On June 16th, the University Athletic Association Board
unanimously approved the project to erect the sculptures.

According to Chip Howard, associate athletics director for
operations and facilities, the project will cost roughly
$550,000.

“We have commitments from three donors to fully fund the
project,” Howard said. “No UAA or other university funds are being
used.”

The statues will be about 15 percent larger than life-sized and
will be placed on the west side of the stadium where a planter now
sits, near the elevators, Howard said.

To prevent people from climbing the statues and possibly getting
hurt, a barrier will surround the elevated statues.

“It won’t be like the gator [statue] on the corner of Gale
Lemerand [Drive] and Stadium [Road],” Howard said. “People will be
able to stand in front of them and get pictures, they just won’t be
touching the statues.”

The statues will depict the former quarterbacks in the year they
won the Heisman Trophy. While Spurrier and Wuerffel, the 1966 and
1996 Heisman recipients respectively, will be captured in a
throwing motion, there is suspense surrounding how Tebow, the 2007
winner, will be portrayed.

Spurrier, who was the school’s first Heisman winner, threw for
1, 852 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1966 to win the award.

Wuerffel accumulated 3,319 yards through the air to rack up 36
touchdowns in his Heisman season.

Tebow recorded 51 total touchdowns (29 passing, 22 rushing) and
3,970 total yards in 2007 to become the latest Gator win the
trophy.

Howard did not disclose how Tebow’s statue would look.

“There were a couple of poses looked at for each individual,” he
said. “We contacted each person and wanted to make it a
collaborative effort to best represent them.”

As for the eye black, Howard said that will be answered at the
unveiling.

Artist W. Stanley “Sandy” Proctor has been commissioned to build
the statues.

The Tallahassee artist sculpted former Florida State University
football coach Bobby Bowden’s statue that stands outside FSU’s Doak
Campbell Stadium.

Howard said Proctor also did a Doak Walker statue in Dallas and
has a lot of experience sculpting life-like statues.

According to Howard, the installation of the statues will take
place sometime after Jan. 1, and a ceremony will follow to unveil
the statues to the public.

The university is trying to find a time for all three honorees
to attend, despite their busy schedules.

Currently, the only life-like statue on Florida’s campus is of
Albert A. Murphree, the second president of the university.